Method of manufacturing hook and loop fastener strip, device therefore and hook and loop fastener strip

ABSTRACT

Method for the production of at least one strip of male or female touch and close fastener ( 2,3 ) respectively, consisting of at least a support ( 4 ) with hooks ( 8 ) or loops ( 9 ) respectively on at least one side of it, in which a part of the strip does not have hooks ( 8 ) or loops ( 9 ), characterised in that the hooks ( 8 ) or loops ( 9 ) are selectively mechanically removed from a part of the touch and close fastener strip ( 2,3 ).

The present invention relates to a method for the production of touchand close fastener strips in which not all of the surface is covered byhooks or loops, a device for implementing this method and touch andclose fasteners with improved properties.

A touch and close fastener generally consists of two parts that canattach to one another, whereby one part is a male part that has smallhooks protruding out of the support on at least one side, while theother part is a female part that has loops on at least one side.

When the male and female parts are brought together the small hookslatch onto the loops such that the parts fasten together.

Both parts primarily consist of a support and hooks or loops, forexample formed by a matrix of warp threads and weft threads, betweenwhich pile threads are woven to form the pile protruding out of thesupport that forms the aforementioned hooks or loops.

A touch and close fastener strip often has edges, called sewing edges,on which there are no hooks or loops. This sewing edge can be used tosew the strip onto textiles.

Traditionally such a touch and close fastener strip is produced withsewing edges by setting up a loom such that the desired width of thestrip, and also the desired width of the part that has the pile, isobtained.

Touch and close fasteners can also be made with different fasteningstrengths by varying the quantity of pile thread that is woven in, andalso by selecting the right settings for the loom.

This traditional way of making touch and close fasteners with differentwidths and fastening strengths has a number of disadvantages.

A first disadvantage relates to the fact that in practice a largequantity of different qualities and widths have to be produced, forwhich the loom has to be adapted each time, which is a long andexpensive operation.

There is also the disadvantage that if an electrical or mechanical faultoccurs in a loom set for a certain type and a certain width, theproduction of this type and this width of touch and close fastener hasto stop, and cannot easily be restarted on a different loom.

Another disadvantage is that a large stock, i.e. many differentqualities and widths, has to be kept.

A further disadvantage is that there is no flexibility for adapting thetouch and close fastener strip once it has been produced.

A method is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,037 for providing a touch andclose fastener strip with a sewing edge by ultrasonically melting thehooks and loops over a part of the touch and close fastener, i.e. thepart that will form the sewing edge.

This method indeed provides a partial solution to the saiddisadvantages, but it also has its own disadvantages.

For example, the molten material gets onto the support in a moltenstate, and is partly absorbed in it.

A sewing edge is thereby visually formed, but it partly consists of ahard solidified layer of what was previously the hooks or loops.

As a result the sewing edge is hard and the sewing of this sewing edgeis hampered because the needle used cannot penetrate the sewing edge, orcan only do so with difficulty.

As a result the sewing edge also loses the flexibility that the supportnormally has, such that it breaks or tears more easily.

With this method an economically attractive production speed, minimum 15m/min, in practice rather 20 m/min or more, is not possible because inpractice the hooks, which are relatively thick compared to the loops, donot melt completely and do not lie flat on or in the support, but onlypartially melt and thereby form lumps on the sewing edge.

This gives an unattractive visual image, feels unattractive, and makessewing more difficult.

An ultrasonic melting device is also relatively expensive, both withregard to procurement and usage, due to a relatively short lifetime.

Extensive readjustment of the ultrasonic device is also needed when adifferent type or different quality of touch and close fastener has tobe provided with sewing edges in this way, such that there aresignificant adjustment costs when production changes.

A further disadvantage is that such a method is only feasible with alimited quantity of manufacturing materials for touch and closefastener.

Indeed, for the feasibility of the method it is first necessary for thematerial for the hooks and loops to be meltable. As a result materialsthat do not melt, but which harden or char, cannot be used at all. Metalthreads, that melt at a very high temperature, cannot be used either.

Secondly it is necessary for the hooks and loops to melt at atemperature at which the support is not affected, which is a furtherlimitation of the known method.

Touch and close fasteners with a lamination layer or backing, forexample hot-melt adhesive, cannot be used, or only with difficulty, withthis known method for providing sewing edges, because this laminationlayer could also be affected by the heat for the melting.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a solution to atleast one or more of the aforementioned disadvantages and/or otherdisadvantages.

To this end the invention concerns a method for the production of atleast one strip of a male or female touch and close fastenerrespectively, consisting of at least a support with hooks or loopsrespectively on at least one side of it, in which a part of the stripdoes not have hooks or loops, in which the hooks or loops areselectively mechanically removed from a part of the touch and closefastener strip.

The advantage of this is that a great variety of different touch andclose fasteners, such as touch and close fasteners with logos orgeometric decorations, touch and close fasteners of different widths andsewing edge widths, touch and close fasteners with reduced fasteningstrength, can be made from a wide touch and close fastener stripaccording to need and flexibly by selectively mechanically removing thehooks or loops.

In practice this will primarily be by cutting or shaving off the hooksand loops.

This can all be realised cheaply because little or no adjustment work ofthe loom is required, and it can thus be done at a high speed of 15metres per minute, or preferably even 20 metres or more per minute.

Because all looms are set up in the same way, the uniformity of thetouch and close fastener obtained is greater than with the traditionalmethod.

A number of narrower touch and close fastener strips with sewing edgescan also be made in an advantageous way from an initial wide touch andclose fastener strip, produced on one loom for example.

The advantage of this is that a far less extensive stock of qualitiesand widths is needed, because it can be produced quickly, easily andflexibly.

A further advantage is that it brings about a capacity increase in aproduction department.

An advantage is also that the separation between the sewing edges andthe fastening part of the strip can be applied more accurately than withthe traditional method, whereby a more beautiful visual effect isobtained, certainly after the touch and close fastener has been used afew times.

Greater accuracy is also possible with respect to the width of the touchand close fastener strip and the sewing edge. In a traditionalproduction process by weaving, an accuracy of +/−1.5 mm is possible fora 50 mm wide touch and close fastener strip, while with the methodaccording to the invention an accuracy of +/−0.1 mm is possible.

If a laminated touch and close fastener is made, i.e. a touch and closefastener with a self-adhesive or reactivatable adhesive backing, atextile backing, a flame-retardant layer or another backing, a perfectlyfitting lamination layer is possible thanks to the method according tothe invention, such that there is a lamination layer over the entiresurface of the touch and close fastener strip, and does not protrudeoutside the touch and close fastener strip. There are also nolimitations on the choice of material for the lamination layer, as isthe case with the known method.

A further advantage is that the fastening strength of the touch andclose fastener can be easily adjusted by removing the hooks or loopsover a part of the surface of the touch and close fastener, such thatthe flexibility for making different qualities is increased.

The invention also concerns male or female touch and close fastenersconsisting of at least a support and hooks or loops respectively, a partof which does not have hooks or loops, in which the support of that parthas residues of the material that make up the hooks or loops, from whichthe hooks or loops have been mechanically removed.

The invention also concerns a device for producing at least one touchand close fastener strip, with at least a support and hooks or loops, inwhich at least one part extending in the longitudinal direction does nothave hooks or loops, that has means of mechanical removal in order toremove hooks or loops from a touch and close fastener strip, andtransport facilities to move the means and the touch and close fastenerwith respect to one another in the longitudinal direction of the touchand close fastener.

The advantage of this is that a wide touch and close fastener strip canbe easily converted into a series of smaller touch and close fastenerstrips with their sewing edges connected together, that only need to beseparated from one another in order to be used.

With the intention of better showing the characteristics of theinvention, a preferred embodiment of a method for making narrow touchand close fastener strips with sewing edges from a wide touch and closefastener strip according to the invention is described hereinafter byway of an example without any limiting nature, with reference to theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 schematically shows in perspective a touch and close fasteneraccording to the invention with a male part with hooks and a female partwith loops;

FIG. 2 shows a cross-section of a male touch and close fastener strip;

FIG. 3 schematically shows, in the direction of arrow F3 in FIG. 2, themethod for producing narrow touch and close fastener strips with asewing edge from a wide touch and close fastener strip;

FIGS. 4 and 5 show cross-sections through the touch and close fastenerin various phases of its processing, as indicated in FIG. 3 by linesIV-IV and V-V.

A touch and close fastener 1 shown in FIG. 1 is formed by two touch andclose fastener strips, respectively a male touch and close fastenerstrip 2 and a female touch and close fastener strip 3, that are broughttogether to latch onto one another.

The touch and close fastener strips 2,3 are primarily formed from asupport 4, in this example consisting of a matrix of warp threads 5 andweft threads 6 woven together, between which pile threads 7 are woven toform a pile in the form of hooks 8 for the male touch and close fastener2 or in the form of loops 9 for the female touch and close fastener 3.This is shown in FIG. 2 with regard to the male touch and close fastener2.

In the example shown, the hooks 8 and loops 9 are on one side of thesupport 4 and protrude with respect to this side, although it is notruled out that both sides of the support 4 have such hooks 8 or loops 9.

In this example, the touch and close fastener strips 2,3 have sewingedges 10 where there are no hooks 8 or loops 9. In the traditional waythese sewing edges 10 are formed by not weaving in any pile thread 7 inthese places and they have a width A.

In FIGS. 2 to 5, only a male touch and close fastener 2 is shown, andonly the processing on a male touch and close fastener 2 is discussed,but the argument and drawings are analogously applicable to female touchand close fastener 3.

A method according to the invention, as shown in FIG. 3, uses a touchand close fastener strip 2 as an initial material, as shown in FIG. 2.

This touch and close fastener strip 2 is directed through a device 11according to the invention in the direction of arrow P that consists ofa rotating disk 13 with a shaving effect and a thickness B,corresponding to twice the desired sewing edge width A, which is mountedon a shaft 12, whereby the touch and close fastener 2 is directedagainst the disk 13 in such a way that the hooks 8 are removed togetherwith a large part of their accompanying pile 7 by the action of the disk13, while the support 4 does not contact the disk 13 in such a way thatthe support is not damaged.

As a result a straight track 14 is formed on the touch and closefastener strip 2 from which the hooks 8 are fully removed and the pile 7is partially removed. At the location of this track 14, residues 15 ofthe pile thread remain in the support 4. Preferably, for visual reasons,the pile 7 is removed down to the support 4, so that there are noprotruding parts. This is shown in FIG. 4.

This intermediary product can also be considered as two touch and closefastener strips 16, 17 that are connected together by their sewing edges18.

Then the track 14 is split in the longitudinal direction, in this caseby a rotating cutting blade 20 on a shaft 19. As a result, two touch andclose fastener strips 16, 17 are produced, both with a sewing edge 18,as shown in FIG. 5.

If a different width other than A of the sewing edge 18 is desired, thiscan be easily done by adjusting the width B of the disk 13 and/or bycutting the track 14 asymmetrically.

As an option, the touch and close fastener 2,3 to which the method isapplied can have a backing, for example a self-adhesive or reactivatableadhesive backing, a textile backing, a flame retardant layer or anotherlayer whereby the touch and close fastener strips 16, 17 and the backingproduced perfectly fit one another, and without the method havingnegative effects on the backing.

The method according to the invention, as described, can of course alsobe implemented a number of times, whereby the strips 16 or 17 serve asan initial product once again.

The method according to the invention can also be applied with a numberof disks 13 to remove hooks 8 or loops 9 next to one another so thatthree or more touch and close fastener strips 16, 17 are formed.

The method according to the invention can also be implemented in a waysuch that not all, or even none, of the tracks 14 formed are split. Thiscan be useful when applying the sewing edges 18 to the touch and closefastener 2,3 that has the desired width but does not have sewing edges,or for removing part of the hooks 8 or loops from a touch and closefastener strip 2,3 in order to obtain a touch and close fastener strip2,3 with the appropriate fastening strength.

Instead of removing the hooks 8 by shaving, various other mechanicalmethods can be used to remove the hooks 8 and the pile thread 7 or partof it.

The method for splitting the track 14 can also be done in in many ways,such as cold cutting, hot cutting, melting or burning, for example byusing a cold or hot knife, ultrasonic or laser technology.

The invention is applicable to traditional hook-and-loop type touch andclose fasteners, but also to other types of touch and close fasteners,such as mushroom touch and close fasteners, velours touch and closefasteners and extruded touch and close fasteners.

The present invention is by no means limited to the embodimentsdescribed as an example and shown in the drawings, but a method, touchand close fasteners and a device according to the invention can berealised in all kinds of variants, forms and dimensions, withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention.

1. Method for the production of at least one strip of male or femaletouch and close fastener (2,3) respectively, consisting of at least asupport (4) with hooks (8) or loops (9) respectively on at least oneside of it, in which a part of the strip does not have hooks (8) orloops (9), characterised in that the hooks (8) or loops (9) areselectively mechanically removed from a part of the touch and closefastener strip (2,3) by cutting or shaving off the hooks or loops. 2.Method according to claims 1, characterised in that the hooks (8) and orloops (9), together with the pile thread (7) from which they are formed,are removed down to close to the support (4).
 3. Method according toclaim 1 or 2, characterised in that the touch and close fastener (2,3)consists of a woven or knitted support (4) and that the hooks (8) orloops (9) are formed by pile threads (7) incorporated into this support(4).
 4. Method according to any one of the previous claims,characterised in that it is applied to the strip in the longitudinaldirection, and that at least a part of the surface from which the hooks(8) or loops (9) are removed forms a sewing edge (18).
 5. Methodaccording to any one of the previous claims, characterised in that atleast two strips of a touch and close fastener (16, 17) are producedthat are next to one another in the longitudinal direction, and whichare each connected by a sewing edge (10) to a sewing edge (18) ofadjacent strips (16, 17).
 6. Method according to claim 4 or 5,characterised in that supplementary, touch and close fastener strips(16, 17) are separated from one another by severing the connectionbetween the sewing edges (18).
 7. Method according to any one of theprevious claims, characterised in that the method is used for producingtouch and close fastener (2, 3) with a reduced fastening strength. 8.Method according to any one of the previous claims, characterised inthat the support (4) of the touch and close fastener strip (2,3) has abacking on the side where there are no hooks (8) or loops (9).
 9. Maleor female touch and close fastener (2,3) consisting of at least asupport (4) and hooks (8) or loops (9) respectively, a part (18) ofwhich does not have hooks (8) or loops (9), characterised in that thesupport (4) of that part (18) has residues (15) of the material (7) thatforms the hocks (8) or loops (9), from which the hooks (8) or loops (9)have been mechanically removed by cutting or shaving off.
 10. Device(11) for producing at least one touch and close fastener strip (16, 17)with at least a support (4) and hooks (8) or loops (9), of which atleast one part (18) extending in the longitudinal direction does nothave hooks (8) or loops (9), which has mechanical removal means (13) toremove hooks or loops from a touch and close fastener strip (2,3) andtransport facilities to move these means (13) and the touch and closefastener (2,3) with respect to one another in the longitudinal directionof the touch and close fastener (2,3), characterised in that themechanical removal means consist of a rotating disk (13) with a shavingor cutting effect.
 11. Device according to claim 10 or 11 characterisedin that it is intended for the production of at least two touch andclose fastener strips (16,17), and additionally has means (20) toseparate the touch and close fastener strips (16,17) from one another atthe location of the removed hooks (8) or loops (9).